Number Locks vs The Past Within
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Number Locks
A challenging numeric puzzle game designed to test your mental agility. Solve increasingly difficult boards by subtracting tiles, aiming for the fewest moves to unlock new levels and rewards.
- Numeric subtraction puzzles
- Increasingly challenging levels
- Solve for minimum moves
- Unlock new dimensions
- Swipe to move tiles
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Love puzzles? Like to challenge your grey matter and stretch your mental agility? Try our numeric puzzle game to keep you entertained and mentally stimulated for hours. Solve increasingly challenging boards using subtraction. Be satisfied with finding a solution to unlock the next level, or strive to work out the perfect solution in the minimum moves for which you'll be rewarded with extra keys to unlock new dimensions and mental challenges. Swipe to move tiles. When two tiles combine they will be subtracted from one another. The remainder will be left in it's place. Subtracting tiles of the same value will clear both tiles. Clear all the tiles to complete the level. Sound easy? Try it, and try to complete every level in the fewest possible moves to get the maximum keys.
The Past Within
Embark on a cooperative point-and-click adventure where players explore different time periods and dimensions. Work with a friend, communicating what you see to solve intricate puzzles and uncover mysteries. This unique experience requires both players to own the game and communicate externally.
- Co-op only gameplay
- Explore past and future
- Solve puzzles together
- Two distinct perspectives (2D/3D)
- Cross-platform play
- Replayable with new solutions
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Note: The Past Within is a co-op only game. Both players need to own a copy of the game on their own device (mobile, tablet or computer), as well as a way to communicate with each other. Play together with a friend or find a partner on our official Discord server! The past and future cannot be explored alone! Team up with a friend and piece together the mysteries surrounding Albert Vanderboom. Communicate what you see around you to help one another solve various puzzles and explore the worlds from different perspectives! The Past Within is the first co-op only point-and-click adventure set in the mysterious world of Rusty Lake. Features: ▪ A co-op experience Play together with a friend, one in The Past, the other in The Future. Work together to solve the puzzles and help Rose set her father’s plan in motion! ▪ Two worlds - Two perspectives Both players will experience their environments in two different dimensions: 2D as well as in 3D - a first-time experience in the Rusty Lake universe! ▪ Cross-platform As long as you can communicate with each other, you and your partner of choice can each play The Past Within on your preferred platform: Mac, PC and Nintendo Switch! ▪ Playtime & Replayability The game contains 2 chapters and has an average play-time of 2 hours. For the full experience, we recommend replaying the game from the other perspective. Plus you can use our replayability feature for a fresh start with new solutions to all puzzles.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Number Locks at Free against The Past Within's $2.99. Number Locks also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 89%). The Past Within's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 52 months) and ratings volume (7.4K vs 1). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Number Locks is free to download; The Past Within costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Number Locks against 4.9 for The Past Within. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Past Within has 7.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Number Locks's written reviews are positive against 89% of The Past Within's.
Number Locks ships an update every 52 months, The Past Within every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Number Locks | The Past Within |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.9 (7.4K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 88.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 7.4K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 52 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #5 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 379 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Anup Parekh | Rusty Lake |
Customer experience
Number Locks
The Past Within
Bugs and requests
Number Locks
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
The Past Within
Reported bugs
3 issues- No sound in the game
- Crashes after Chapter 1 title screen
- Downloading issues on some devices
Requested features
4 requests- More chapters/levels
- Single-player mode option
- Ability to switch roles/perspectives
- Online/remote co-op functionality
In-app purchases
Number Locks
No in-app purchases
The Past Within
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Number Locks free?
Is The Past Within free?
Which has better reviews, Number Locks or The Past Within?
Do Number Locks or The Past Within have ads?
Which is updated more often, Number Locks or The Past Within?
Other comparisons
